5.X — Build Your Team Before You Build Your Restaurant #
Before you look at a single space, you need to know who is at the table.
Your consultant translates your vision into operational reality. Menu, pricing, traffic, staffing, Guest Experience — all of it runs through the operational lens. Without that lens, everyone else is working in isolation.
Your broker represents your interests in the leasing process. In most markets, the broker’s commission is paid by the landlord. That means you get professional representation at no cost to you. Take it.
Your architect turns your concept into a buildable plan — layout, flow, code compliance, seating capacity. They can tell you what a space can and cannot do before you commit to it, and what it will actually cost to get there.
Your production and FF&E partner knows what your kitchen needs to execute your menu, what it costs, and what it requires in terms of utility capacity. Their input directly affects your HVAC, electrical, and exhaust negotiations with the landlord.
Your accountant translates the lease into financial reality. What can you afford? What does the rent-to-sales ratio look like at your projected volume? They keep you from signing a lease your business cannot support.
Your attorney makes sure the lease is legal. That is their job. It is not to advise you on what your operation needs. They will review the document. They will not understand your business. That is your job.
The feasibility study happens before you tour spaces — not after you find one you like. Work backward from your concept: what does your financial model need in terms of seat count, kitchen footprint, and storage? What does your concept require in terms of square footage, configuration, and utility capacity? When you walk into a space with those answers already defined, you are evaluating whether the site fits your vision — not bending your vision to fit the site.
Every shortcut taken before the lease is signed becomes a limitation baked into the business for the duration.
